This page contains information on two cruises through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, all the way from the Antarctic to Britain and Holland, via the most isolated islands in the world. The Atlantic Odyssey was first held in 1998, and since then every year, with slight modifications in itinerary. As examples I only give the iteneraries of the first two trips, in 1998 and 1999:


Atlantic Odyssey 1998

m/v "Professor Molchanov"

Lead by professional scientists. All lectures in English.

Ushuaia - Elephant Island/King George Island - Antarctic Peninsula - South Orkney Islands - South Georgia - Gough - Tristan da Cunha - St Helena - Ascension - Cape Verde - Canary Islands - Selvagens - Madeira - Guernsey - Folkstone/Vlissingen (Flushing)

Four options:

  1. Ushuaia - Ascension: March 18 (We) - April 18 (Sa)
  2. Ushuaia - Sal (Cap Verde): March 18 (We) - April 27 (Mo)
  3. Ushuaia - Tenerife: March 18 (We) - May 1 (Sa)
  4. Ushuaia - Folkstone/Vlissingen: March 18 (We) - May 11/12 (Mo/Tu)


Itinary

Day 1 (March 18)

Ushuaia - Beagle Channel.

Day 2-3

Drake Passage - multitude of albatrosses and petrels.

Day 4

If weather permits: landing on Shackleton's legendary Elephant Island, where his men from the 'Endurance' wintered. In bad weather: landings in sheltered Admiralty Bay, King George Island. Penguins, Elephant seals, whales.

Day 5

Hope Bay (to set foot on the Antarctic Continent, at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula), and Paulet Island.

Day 6-8

South Orkney Islands, where Scotsman Bruce wintered. Argentine base.

Day 9-11

South Georgia. Abandoned whaling stations Grytviken and Leith Harbour. King Penguins on Salisbury Plains, Wandering Albatrosses (and other albatross species) nesting in Bay of Isles.

Day 12-17

At Sea. 'Pleasant tailwind'. Great numbers of antarctic and subantarctic seabirds.

Day 18-20

Circumnavigation of World Heritage Site Gough Island, visit Tristan da Cunha settlement, if possible landing on Nightingale Island, where millions of seabirds of many species breed.

Day 21-25

At sea. Subtropical waters with different seabirds and dolphins.

Day 26-27

St Helena. Pleasant atmosphere, people, and climate. Many historic sites. Napoleon's quarters during exile. National park with remnant endemic vegetation.

Day 28-30

At sea. Tropical.

Day 31

Ascension Island. Volcanic desert island, with a million tropical terns. Turtles laying on the beaches at night.

Day 32 (April 18)

Early in the morning some passengers may fly to to Brize Norton/Swindon (Southern England) with scheduled RAF flight. Remaining passengers will circumnavigate (in zodiacs) Boatswain Bird Island with nesting boobies, noddies, tropic birds and the endemic Ascension Frigate Bird.

Day 33-38

At sea, accross the equator.

Day 39-40

Cape Verde Islands. Visits to Brava, Fogo and São Tiago. Friendly African people. Many historic sites from colonial and slave trade period.

Day 41 (April 27)

At Sal (Cape Verde) passengers can disembark to fly home. The lecturers programme ends here. Passengers still remaining on board will have to amuse themselves.

Day 42-45

At sea.

Day 46 (May 1)

The ship will bunker at Tenerife. Passengers can explore the island on their own steam, or fly home.

Day 47

Circumnavigation of uninhabited Selvagens nature reserve with large colonies of petrels and shearwaters.

Day 48

Passengers can explore Portuguese culture on Madeira on their own steam.

Day 49-53

At sea.

Day 54

Channel Islands. Visit to Guernsey.

Day 55 (May 11)

At Folkstone (UK) British passengers disembark.

Day 56 (May 12)

At Vlissingen (Flushing - Netherlands) last passengers dismebark.


Yes, the Atlantic Odyssey 1998 is history. It was a great trip. I joined as one of the lecturers. We did everything we wanted to do, we saw everything we wanted to see, we made all landings we wanted to make, and we did it again every year since. I joined as a lecturer again in 2000. Want to join us? Contact me.


Because of the enormous interest in the Atlantic Odyssey 1998, the cruise has been repeated in 1999. The programme was slightly different, as the Falkland Islands were visited, instead of Antarctica.

Atlantic Odyssey 1999

m/v "Professor Molchanov"

Lead by professional scientists. All lectures in English.

Ushuaia - Falkland Islands - South Georgia - Gough - Tristan da Cunha - St Helena - Ascension - Cape Verde - Canary Islands - Selvagens - Madeira - Guernsey - Weymouth/Vlissingen (Flushing)

Dates:

March 11 - April 23: Ushuaia - Tenerife
April 23 - May 02/03: Tenerife - Weymouth/Vlissingen

Programme

Day 1

In the afternoon we embark in Ushuaia and sail through the Beagle Channel.

Day 2

On our way to the Falklands we witness a multitude of albatrosses, petrels and fulmars.

Day 3

In the Falklands we land on New Island where we will visit large colonies of black-browed albatrosses and sea lions.

Day 4

Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, has about 1000 inhabitants.

Day 5-7

On our way to South Georgia we will cross the Antarctic Convergence, where we enter Antarctic water.

Day 8-10

In South Georgia we will pay visits to the abandoned whaling settlements Grytviken and Leith Harbour, the King Penguin colony on the Salisbury Plains, and the breeding Wandering Albatrosses in the Bay of Isles.

From South Georgia onwards, the programme was identical to the programme of the Atlantic Odyssey of 1998.


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